Shadow Combat

One button. Rising speed. No second chances. That is the arcade formula and it has not changed much in forty years because it does not need to. A session is a run of attempts where the first few are warm-ups and the later ones are tense. You stop noticing the music. You stop blinking. Then you clip an edge and it is over, and you tap Play again.

• Move WASD Fight Attacks Y U I G H J K T similar to Tekken-style combos

1. 1Check the start screen for the control hint, then do one throwaway run to feel how your character moves and stops.
2. 2Commit to each input. Hesitating halfway through a jump or dodge is what causes most early crashes.
3. 3Keep your thumb or finger resting lightly on the control so you are never reaching for it.
4. 4Set a target before each run, for example clearing the next obstacle type, and stop for the day when you hit it.

• Free to play, nothing to install, no account needed
• Loads in the browser tab and opens full screen when you press Play
• Plays best with the phone turned sideways or on a wider screen
• Touch controls on phones and tablets, mouse and keyboard on a computer
• Listed under Arcade

Nothing to learn, nothing to install, and a run of Shadow Combat fits inside a single song. It is the kind of game that is good when you have five spare minutes and bad when you have five spare hours, because you will use all of them.

Suits anyone from about eight upward with decent reflexes. Adults looking for a palate cleanser between longer games, and phone users who want something to do with one thumb while standing up.

Will Shadow Combat work on an older phone?

Usually. Arcade games are light and run on most devices that can open a modern browser. If it stutters, close other tabs and try again.

Is there a way to make it easier?

Not normally. Arcade games are built around a fixed ramp of difficulty. The only reliable way to get further is practice, which happens faster than you would expect.

How long should I expect to play?

Individual runs last from twenty seconds to a few minutes. Most people play in bursts of ten or fifteen minutes before stopping.